Job Choices 2012 - Business - (Page 36)
When preparing your responses to possible interview questions, avoid giving vague or unsubstantiated answers. Always use specific examples, comparisons, and/or descriptions to support your answer. For example, if a recruiter asks “What is your greatest strength?,” say something on the order of “I’m extremely detail-oriented” and elaborate by adding, “In my last job, I streamlined the entire customer registra-
tion process.” Through your response, you should present yourself as someone who will be committed to the organization and its goals, will work hard to succeed, and will fit into the organization. Emphasize your enthusiasm, capability, flexibility, confidence, resourcefulness, and strong work ethic in both your words and your mannerisms. Practice being positive and confident.
Communicate
Now that you’ve prepared and practiced for the interview, you can effectively market yourself. This is accomplished both verbally and nonverbally. First, don’t be late for the interview. Map/ drive the route the day before your interview if you are unfamiliar with the location. Your attire and behavior need to be impeccable and professional. When you arrive, introduce
Ready for a webcam interview?
SIX TIPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE
by Matt Berndt
Most laptops and smartphones are now equipped with webcams, and high-speed Internet connections and services like Skype and ooVoo are allowing us to connect “face-to-face” virtually, no matter where we are geographically. The videophone/webcam age has arrived, so if you are looking for a job or internship, don’t be surprised if an employer chooses to skip the telephone interview in favor of interviewing you via webcam. Webcam interviews are different from in-person interviews and telephone interviews, and if you’re not prepared you might just miss that opportunity to make a good ﬁrst “virtual” impression. Here are six tips to help you prepare:
Know your technology: Whether you are using Skype, ooVoo, Google WebChat, or one of the other webcam chat apps available for your computer or smartphone, make sure you know how to use the app and its features. Check the speaker and microphone volume and settings; check the picture quality; know how to use the screen sharing function; know how to set up a multi-person web conference. The day of your interview is the wrong time to learn how to use the application! If you’re worried about how to use the app during the interview, you’re not going to be focused on the interview. Don’t wait until the last minute. Download the app now and start getting comfortable using it. Control your environment: Eliminate all distractions! Roommates, pets, boyfriends and girlfriends, parents—ask them to leave you alone. Twitter and Facebook accounts, your Pandora account and your iPod—turn them off! Allow yourself to focus on the interview: Make sure you are budgeting enough time for the interview. Be ready to go 10 to 15 minutes beforehand and budget extra time in case the interview goes long. Have a glass of water nearby and have all of your notes ready to reference. As with an in-person interview, you can’t get up and move around during your webcam interview. They can see you and everything you do. Manage your image: Dress the part! This means you and everything in view of your webcam. The image you project on your webcam is a combination of you and your surroundings, and you control ALL of this. Take a look at yourself in your webcam. What do you look like? What do you see in the background? What you see is what the employer will see. Clean up the room; make sure the light from a nearby window isn’t washing out your picture. Adjust the webcam so that it is capturing the image of you that you want to convey. Remember, you control the camera, how it is positioned and the image it captures. Manage that image! Double-check your connection: Wireless communication is great, until it doesn’t work or until the wireless signal strength is weak. Signal strength is particularly important when you are transmitting video, so make sure you have a fast and reliable connection (wired or wireless). If you don’t, your video quality will be grainy and your audio will not be clear or consistent. Test your connection speed and/or wireless signal strength to be certain it can effectively handle webcam communication. Have a “Plan B”: You can check and double-check. You can do everything right and be as prepared as possible, and sometimes technology just fails to do what it’s supposed to do. You need to have a Plan B ready just in case Plan A doesn’t work. Make sure you know your interviewer’s phone number and e-mail address. Have both ready in case you need to use them. At the ﬁrst sign of trouble, alert your interviewer and see if you can get the technology issues resolved. If you can’t, suggest the telephone as an alternative.
Matt Berndt is the Director of Communication Career Services at the University of Texas at Austin. Connect with Matt online via Skype (matt.berndt) or LinkedIn (MattBerndt).
36/www.jobchoicesonline.com Job Choices for Business & Liberal Arts Students: 2012
http://www.jobchoicesonline.comTable of Contents for the Digital Edition of Job Choices 2012 - BusinessJob Choices 2012 - BusinessContentsOpportunities by Employers/Website IndexPlaying Fair: Your Rights and Responsibilities As a Job SeekerStarting a Successful Job SearchStrategies for Succeeding in a Competitive Job MarketThe Networking ChallengeMaking Career Fairs Work for You10 Tips for Using Social Media in Your Job SearchUSAJOBS Work for AmericaFrom Student to ProfessionalThe Art of Writing Job-Search LettersWrite the Right Resume for the Job You’re SeekingA New Tool: QR CodesYour Online Presence and Your Job SearchThe Online ApplicationSecrets to Interview SuccessBehavior-Based InterviewingInterview Q&AReady for a Webcam Interview?Interviewing Tips and TypesInterview DressHow Good Are Your Interviewing Skills?The Critical First Year on the JobWorkplace e-EtiquetteApplying Your Two-Year Degree to a Four-Year ProgramGoing on to Grad SchoolEmployer InformationJob Choices 2012 - Businesshttp://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nace/JobChoices2012_businesshttp://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com